Valdez, AK March Climate Extremes

Perusing over the NWS statistics today and came up with this. Leading the stats is the 10-year averages for snowfall during the past 40 years showing a rather stark downward trend for the month and some indication of our future climate  Also, three of the five warmest Marches have occurred in the past 15 years.  The last time we had 100″ of snow during the month of March was nearly 25 years ago. (For statistical purpose I am only using observations from 1964 to present)

The simple and obvious correlation between global warming due to our over-dependence and waste of oil is our winters are getting shorter, average snowfall is declining and rain or warmer temps are more likely in March. What were once climactic anomalies are now becoming patterns and even more so in the Arctic regions.

Average March Total Snowfall

2006 – 2015  32” //1996 –2005   46” //1986 – 1995   62”//1976 – 1985  59”

 

Snowiest

1985 – 114

1979 – 113

1992 – 100

1994 – 96

1988 – 88

Least Snowy

2015 – 4

2012 – 6

1987 – 10

1984 – 10

1968 – 14

Wettest

1994 – 10

1992 – 10

1988 – 10

1079 – 10

2005 – 9

Driest

1983 – 1

1987 – 1

2006 – 1

1997 – 1

1989 – 2

 

24 hour Snowfall

1982 – 31

1985 – 24

1998 – 21

1985 – 20

1979 – 19

 

 

 

Mean High

1984 – 41

1981 – 41

2015 – 40

2010 – 40

2005 – 40

Mean Low

1972 – 14

1966 – 16

1967 – 17

2012 – 18

2015 – 19